The Seafood Cookery Cookery course focuses on the use of different fish and shellfish, including selection & freshness, various cooking techniques, making ceviche, and home smoking methods. It also exposes participants to Mediterranean, Creole, Acadian French, and Cajun cooking styles. During the class the instructors and students will together create seafood-based meals, from appetizers and soups to entrees, breads, and desserts. This unique cooking vacation will introduce participants to the culture and history of French New World cuisines as well as the principles of Mediterranean Cuisine, including the cooking and culture of the Mediterranean region and southern Spain, where the instructors have perfected techniques and recipes at the Granada Cooking School in Granada. Dishes and techniques may include making couscous, paella, stuffed mussels, and seafood grilling.

The Nova Scotia Seafood Cooking School is a Signature Experience of the Canadian Tourism Commission!

2014 Dates:

MAY 23-25

JUNE 6-8

OCTOBER 10-12

The cost, per person, for Seafood Cookery is CAN $899 for 2014 sessions. The program includes two nights’ accommodation in a Deluxe Junior Suite or Deluxe Room (double occupancy; upgrades available), all meals, and the culinary instruction and field trips (if offered). There is also a 9% service fee. Those not wishing to participate in the culinary program can stay at Trout Point Lodge using the normal room and meal tariffs. A signed copy of Trout Point Lodge Cookbook: Creole Cuisine from New Orleanns to Nova Scotia is included.A 50% deposit is taken at the time of reservation, subject to refund as per Trout Point’s usual cancellation policy.

For information and reservations, please call (902) 761-2142 or e-mail.

A typical weekend culinary vacation schedule:

Friday
3-4:00 pm: Arrival & check-in

4 pm: Introduction,main dining room (wine & cheese)

4:30 pm: Seafood quality and selecting seafood; sustainability

5:30 pm: break

7:00 pm: Cocktails in the great room

7:30 pm: Dinner in Chez la Tousquet

Saturday
8:00 am: Breakfast

9:15 am: Field trip (coast near Yarmouth)

1:00 pm: Lunch at Trout Point Lodge

3:00 pm: Non-heat seafood cookery and seafood smoking; kitchen

4:30 pm: Acadian Rappie Pie; kitchen

7:00 pm: Cocktails in the great room

7:30 pm Dinner

Sunday
8-9:30 am: Breakfast

10:30 am: Elegant and simple seafood cookery (hands on)

11:30 am: Lobster and fresh squid ink pasta making

1:00 pm: Farewell Lunch

Those wishing to arrival a day early or extend their stay are welcome to do so at the regular Trout Point Lodge room rates.

Trout Point Lodge has become the first restaurant in Canada to receive international recognition for its sustainability, with the award of a Three Star rating from the UK-based Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA). The SRA conducts an independent assessment based on a questionnaire and follow up evaluation.

The SRA’s assessors were impressed with the exceptional level of sustainability standards across the board at the Lodge, particularly its social and environmental policies, They awarded it the highest possible rating – Three Stars. Trout Point previously had a Two Star rating, but made improvements in supply chain during the 2013 season that resulted in this favourable re-assessment.

The award reflects its commitment to using local, organic, and ethically sourced produce and making substantial efforts to reduce its environmental footprint. “The highest score was achieved in Sustainable Fish where an emphasis on local and sustainable fish and seafood is placed. In Environment Trout Point Lodge achieved its highest score across the SRA’s three pillars of sustainability with 75%. An exceptional approach to Supply Chain led to a perfect score for this section, as well as an excellent approach to recycling.”

The SRA has rated more than 500 restaurants in the UK and launched its Sustainability Rating globally at the World’s 50 Best Restaurant awards in London in May this year, where Narisawa in Tokyo won the Sustainable Restaurant Award. Restaurants complete a survey covering the SRA’s three main pillars of sustainability, Sourcing, Society and Environment.

The Sunday Times branded the SRA’s rating the Michelin Stars of Sustainability. Mark Linehan, Managing Director of the SRA, said: “Consumers globally want to know that restaurants are taking care of the issues that matter to them. That’s why we decided to launch the rating globally so that wherever you are in the world you can choose a restaurant using the same criteria. We’re delighted that Trout Point Lodge is blazing the trail in Canada and we hope other restaurants will follow their lead.”

Kiwi Collection, the world’s largest and most diverse curated collection of luxury hotels, today announced that Trout Point Lodge has been selected for the VISA Signature Luxury Hotel Collection, as well as Kiwi’s own exclusive grouping of hotels. Every hotel in Kiwi Collection is personally reviewed to ensure it offers truly outstanding guest experiences before it is invited to join. Kiwi, in turn, is in charge of the VISA Signature credit card program.

The Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection is a hand-selected portfolio developed exclusively for Visa Signature cardholders. VISA Signature is the company’s premiere credit card product. Gathered together by Visa invitation and appraised regularly, all properties, from boutique gems to world-famous hotels, provide guests an exclusive, unique collection of benefits, specially designed to offer an unparalleled experience.

Kiwi’s experts review and rate each of the selected hotels on a regular basis without regard for brand, size, or affiliation. Hotels that fall below our rigorous standards are diligently removed. As an absolute rule, no hotel is ever allowed to buy its way into the Kiwi Collection. This keeps the collection fresh, honest, and dependable. Forbes has stated: “Kiwi Collection is to luxury hotels what the Michelin Guide is to restaurants”

“All of us at Trout Point are extremely proud to be the first accommodation in Atlantic Canada for Luxury Hotel Collection,” said the Lodge’s chef/proprietor Vaughan Perret.

Trout Point will be listed on both the VISA and Kiwi web sites shortly.

Wine Spectator magazine has granted a 2013 Award of Excellence to Trout Point Lodge for its wine list and wine service. Wine Spectator gives the Award for “lists that offer a well-chosen selection of quality producers, along with a thematic match to the menu in both price and style.” Trout Point was noted for its particular strength in wines from France.

2013 is the 5th consecutive year that the Lodge has received the Award.

Trout Point Lodge is pleased to announce it has been declared a “champion of sustainability” and received 2 stars from the London, England-based Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA), in the very first instance of the SRA’s rating scheme implementation in North America. The global launch of the Rating complements the granting of the inaugural Sustainable Restaurant Award at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013 ceremony on April 29. Organized by Restaurant magazine and sponsored by San Pellegrino, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list is an annual snapshot of the opinions and experiences of over 900 international restaurant industry experts.

The SRA announced the new global reach of its rating in conjunction with the unveiling of the 50 Best list, which receives worldwide press attention. According to the Association, restaurants across Asia, Africa, Europe and North America are lining up to take the Rating, with the aim of earning the coveted stars – called ‘the Michelin Stars of sustainability’ by The Sunday Times in the UK.

The Lodge, located within the UNESCO-recognized Southwest Nova Scotia Biosphere Reserve, has long received acclaim for its kitchen while also endeavouring to excel in eco-friendly and sustainable practices, earning 5 Green Keys and the Parks Canada Sustainable Tourism Award several years ago. “After reading about the worldwide launch of the Sustainable Restaurant Association program at the 50 Best Restaurant Awards, we contacted the Association in London to undergo an assessment,” said the Lodge’s co-owner Charles Leary. The Lodge has also offered cooking classes emphasizing sustainable seafood and local ingredients for over a decade. Scientific American termed Trout Point a “serious venue for culinary ecotourism” in 2009.

Mark Linehan, Managing Director of the SRA, said: “For an increasing number of consumers a critical part of a good dining experience is knowing the restaurant is taking care to source its ingredients responsibly, treat its staff well and manage its resources efficiently. That’s why we introduced this rating system in the UK and are now offering it to restaurants worldwide – to provide diners with a directory of restaurants that share the same values. Congratulations to Trout Point for blazing a trail in Canada.”

The SRA assessment, covering Sourcing, Environment and Society, is open to restaurants, hotels, pubs and cafes or anywhere else serving food and the initial online assessment is free to take. The Sustainability Rating process involves thorough and independent assessment across 14 key areas of sustainable practices and management. Those establishments that excel gain One Star (good), Two Star (excellent), or Three Star (exceptional) status. A Sustainability Champion badge is the hallmark of a restaurant going the extra mile to achieve sustainability, according to the Association.The assessment process was completed yesterday.

“The criterion are strict and engage us in reviewing and thinking about all aspects of our operation,” said Leary. “Earning 2 stars at the outset is a testament to sustainable practices we’ve already engaged in, while the assessment also pointed out areas for improvement to be truly exceptional on a world stage.” Consumers increasingly pay attention to green practices and sustainability in choosing hotels & restaurants, at all levels of style and cuisine.

Renowned chef Raymond Blanc OBE is President of the non-profit Association. The Chef Patron of two Michelin-starred Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and founder of Brasserie Blanc restaurants has always been a campaigner for sustainability and food ethics. “He is the perfect chef to continue our mission to help restaurants to be more sustainable and give diners the chance to choose restaurants that match their ethical and environmental standards,” said the Association of his appointment last year.

“We greatly appreciate the great company we’re in,” stated Leary. In the 2013 World’s 50 Best Restaurants, the award for the most Sustainable Restaurant went to Narisawa of Tokyo, Japan, the result of an SRA assessment.

Trout Point Lodge achieved 5 stars from Canada Select last year, and belongs to the stringent quality accommodation groups Small Luxury Hotels of the World and Select Registry: Distinguished Inns of North America.

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About the SRA

The Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) is a not-for-profit membership organisation providing restaurants with expert sustainability advice through a team of specialist account managers. The SRA helps member restaurants source food more sustainably, manage resources more efficiently and work more closely with their community. Members enjoy the economic benefits of greater sustainability and the SRA promotes their activities to consumers.

The SRA Rating System involves Restaurants completing a rigorous survey, providing answers and evidence to questions across 14 areas of sustainability. The SRA then assesses the results and rates the restaurants accordingly.

Three-Star Sustainability Champions – These restaurants have demonstrated exceptional all round sustainability, scoring consistently well across every category totalling at least 70%.

Andrew Harper, famous pseudonym for a completely anonymous travel editor, has been the name behind one of the most selective, upscale travel reports in the world. The April, 2013 issue of Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report for the first time focused on the Maritimes as a region, visiting Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick.

Harper is a gracious if extremely demanding critic, and noted at the outset of his article selecting just five inns as being “fully up to Harper standards:

Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island all offer picturesque fishing ports, dramatic seacoasts and pristine landscapes, as well as superlative fish and seafood. Owing to an excellent network of highways and ferries, the ideal way to see the region is a circular tour by car. Before setting out, I did not expect to return with a galaxy of highly rated discoveries. This proved to be the case, but my trip was nonetheless exceptionally enjoyable and worthwhile.

Harper singled out Trout Point Lodge for abundant praise: “we found at the end of the road was precisely what you would hope to discover deep in the woods: a handsome Adirondack-style lodge with solid log walls, a gabled roof, a wide veranda and a stone chimney emitting signs of a welcoming blaze.”

I particularly liked a zesty chowder, crammed with seafood and reminiscent of gumbo or cioppino. This was followed by simply but perfectly cooked cod.

Other properties on the list included Halifax’s Prince George Hotel, and in PEI, Dalvay by the Sea, and the Inn at Bay Fortune.

ABOUT ANDREW HARPER

Free of advertising since its inception in June 1979, Hideaway Report is a private monthly publication for sophisticated travelers. The selection of hotels, resorts and restaurants for inclusion in this publication is made on a completely independent basis, with Andrew Harper, LLC paying full rate for all meals, lodging and related travel expenses. Andrew Harper and his editors travel incognito to write candid and unbiased travel reviews for a subscription service, which provides personalized travel-planning assistance, bespoke tours and valuable travel privileges to its subscribers.

A list of the 10 best hotels with “luxurious lodgings that offer lessons in the fine art of cookery,” has included Trout Point Lodge of Nova Scotia. “Rugged wilderness, sustainable food practices and cozy accommodations that include freestanding cottages make this Atlantic Canada property one of our favorites,” says the independent review.

Other hotels on the list include Casa de Sierra Nevada in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Gayot.com serves as a serious, honest and professional resource on dining, travel and lifestyle for an international readership in search of the best. Gayot guides were founded by André Gayot, who with his friends Henri Gault and Christian Millau coined and promoted the term “Nouvelle Cuisine” in the early 1970s. André and his children Alain and Sophie have been directing sophisticated travelers to the world’s best restaurants, hotels, shops, sightseeing and cultural attractions for more than 45 years.

Trout Point Lodge has offered culinary vacations and cooking classes since 2000.